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Post by Celestial on Oct 30, 2017 16:02:10 GMT -5
You've seen this caravan around. It has been going around the neighbourhood for a while now, visiting the houses. However, it was not so...bright. It stands now on the edge of town, washing with light that makes the colours painted upon it all the more vibrant. It almost looked like you were looking at the dusk at another world when you stared at it.
It takes you a moment to realise why: the caravan had windows, and there are now lights on the inside. A lantern also hangs above the entrance, glowing with warm orange light that illuminates the door, towards which lead a set of steps. That looks intriguing.
The percheron you have seen now grazes peacefully beside the caravan. As you approach, it looks up, and for a moment, you catch a glimpse of glowing blue eyes through the thick fringe that covers its eyes. When it is satisfied with what it sees, it slowly returns to grazing again, kicking at the ground with powerful feathered hooved in order to get at the tasty parts of the grass. Did you only imagine that glow? Nevermind.
You come up to the steps now. At the bottom is a mat that says "Welcome". That's...odd. It almost seems too homey to be in amongst this caravan of dusk and the horse which may or may not be supernatural. Nevertheless, that little homey touch is reassuring. After wiping your feet, you walk up the steps and push at the door.
It swings open. The scent of insense hits you, almost sending you barreling off the steps. As you recover, you look inside. Candles burn in holders all around the caravan, explaining the glow. The space is big, almost too big to be the same place as you see from the outside. Is it a pocket dimension? Is this a TARDIS? It is certainly a very cosy TARDIS if it is. Cloth decorates every surface which is not covered in candles (that would be a fire hazard) and there are cushions wiht arcane patterns scattered about, upon which rest mysterious artifacts. You can see the skull of an unearthly beast, a geode with a hole that has been cut right through it, and a crystal that glows with an unearthly light as strange shapes move inside it.
A screech makes you jump out of your skin, and you see the pale face of a barn owl staring down at you. It flutters over to a table, behind which sits the lady. The candlelight reflects off the thousands of silver coins and beads that cover her rich clothing. She positively glows: you wonder how you did not notice her. Her eyes are still covered by the purple hood of her shawl, and beneath the table, you hear the rustling of her skirts. Behind her, her wings rest against her body, relaxed.
"I apologise for this. Athena does not like strangers," she rubs the barn owl under its chin and leans across. "Welcome to my caravan. I should introduce myself. I am...well, my name does not matter. I am a fortune teller from far away, come here for Halloween to peddle my craft."
She waves her hands and a crystal ball, as well as tarot cards suddenly appear. Funny, they were nowhere to be seen before. "So, stranger, please, have a seat. For a small gift, I will reveal to you your fortune. Though I must warn you, some of the fortunes I tell can be rather...peculiar," she steeples her fingers and leans forward. "So, do you want to have your fortune told, my dear?"
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Post by Gelquie on Oct 30, 2017 20:35:28 GMT -5
The hooded figure approaches, staring about the caravan in awe. "Ah, I, uh... nice place," they murmured, briefly distracted by all there was, and how so much could fit into a little caravan. "Talk about travelling in style," they joked.
They looked to Athena. "Ah, sorry Athena. I... Don't know what to tell you. But I mean no harm, promise. And hello to you, fortune teller."
They wondered if the fortune teller could truly tell fortunes, or if this was another gambit like the ones you'd find at a carnival. But then they could manage to fit everything in a caravan despite the dimensional impossibility, and there were all these artifacts around, and the arcane patterns... This was either a really good trick or she was the real deal. Even if it was the former, perhaps there was something to gain from the fortunes, as tricky people have the tendency to pick things out that others may not see.
"Alright, doesn't matter to me if they're peculiar; I'll have mine told. Let's see..." They reach into their cloak, rummaging around until they pull out a woven necklace. "Here, I made this for myself as something to fiddle with, with the textures and soft touch, something to always have on hand. But I realized that it's not quite right for me. Maybe you'll find use for it, or maybe it'll help you more." They hand it over. "Will that work for payment?"
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Post by Thorn on Oct 31, 2017 5:44:20 GMT -5
"I don't like this," one of the zombies complains.
"Too bright," the other agrees. "Can't we go somewhere else?"
Thorn, currently dressed as- well, an octopus, perhaps- folds her two real arms and turns on them with the most severe frown she can muster.
"We're going to visit all of them, because these are our neighbours and we're not jerks. Did you bring the fruit basket?"
Zombie One holds it up. "It's Halloween. We're meant to take stuff, not give stuff away."
"Yeah, but that doesn't really seem fair. Plus we haven't properly introduced ourselves to these guys yet, and what better way than with a nice fragrant fruit basket?"
The zombie makes a face, but shambles after Thorn without complaint. He suddenly staggers at the smell of the incense, cursing under his breath; but the other's nose is in such a state of ruin that he barely notices, and makes a beeline for the strange skull. Thorn catches him by the collar as the owl screeches, and both reel back, staring wide-eyed at the previously unseen bird and then at the lady behind it.
"Oh, ah," Thorn stammers. "Yeah, we'd love a fortune! Is a fruit basket good enough?"
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Post by Celestial on Oct 31, 2017 8:56:49 GMT -5
GelquieFrom the fortune teller's shoulder, the owl gives another screech, as if acknowledging the apology but not accepting it. The lady strokes the owl's neck some more before taking the hooded figure's offering. She runs it over her hands, her fingers tracing the patterns in the woven cord before she gives a nod of approval. "Thank you. This is a wonderful gift, and quite fitting for me," she places it around her neck where it hangs with her other jewels. "Now, have a seat, and I shall read your fortune..." She traces swirls with her finger around the crystal ball, and as she does, you notice something inside it following her touch, like an animal following a zookeeper in anticipation of a meal. "Ah, I see," she finally looks up at the figure, though she does not take her finger off the crystal ball. "You will become a great hero with amazing powers, beloved by many and hated by some. This is, perhaps, why you will never share your home with anybody: you will fear your enemies hurting your loved ones, even a pet. For you will have an enemy ruthless enough to hurt even a puppy. Perhaps, to avert this, this is why you invent a time machine: to stop you gaining your powers so that you might live a normal life." The coins hanging from her veil jangle as she sighs. "A difficult life indeed, but such is the price of doing the right thing. So, what shall you do with this knowledge?" Thorn"Oh, a fruit basket is lovely!" the lady exclaims, trying not to look directly at the zombies. She gestures for it to be placed beside her and picks out an apple from the pile, which she proceeds to eat. "Sit down then, and I shall tell you what you will have in your future." The fortune teller shuffles her cards and lays out several of them. They all have pictures on them but you cannot figure out the meaning of it. What does "the priestess" and the "empress" and "the sword" have to do with you, when you are neither of those two and do not own a sword? Nevertheless, the fortune teller seems to know. "How interesting," she says, smirking before leaning back and gesturing with her arms at the cards. "You have a great deal of creative talent, which you will use to make films that will shape the world into a better place. For all the admirers and fans and lovers that you will gather from this masterwork of genius, the only one whose company you keep will be your faithful pet. A terrible life, or a wonderful one, depending on whose perspective you take." She rests her head in her hands and even if you cannot see her eyes, you feel them fixed on you. "Well? Any questions?"
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Post by Thorn on Oct 31, 2017 9:44:16 GMT -5
Celestial "Lovers?" Thorn splutters. "Admirers? Um. At least having a pet is nice!" "Also, you can't use a camera. You can't even use movie maker," a zombie chimes in. "Yes, alright," Thorn turns back to her host. "I think that's everything. That was very interesting, thank you! I do think the cards are very pretty."
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Post by Gelquie on Nov 1, 2017 0:03:40 GMT -5
GelquieFrom the fortune teller's shoulder, the owl gives another screech, as if acknowledging the apology but not accepting it. The lady strokes the owl's neck some more before taking the hooded figure's offering. She runs it over her hands, her fingers tracing the patterns in the woven cord before she gives a nod of approval. "Thank you. This is a wonderful gift, and quite fitting for me," she places it around her neck where it hangs with her other jewels. "Now, have a seat, and I shall read your fortune..." She traces swirls with her finger around the crystal ball, and as she does, you notice something inside it following her touch, like an animal following a zookeeper in anticipation of a meal. "Ah, I see," she finally looks up at the figure, though she does not take her finger off the crystal ball. "You will become a great hero with amazing powers, beloved by many and hated by some. This is, perhaps, why you will never share your home with anybody: you will fear your enemies hurting your loved ones, even a pet. For you will have an enemy ruthless enough to hurt even a puppy. Perhaps, to avert this, this is why you invent a time machine: to stop you gaining your powers so that you might live a normal life." The coins hanging from her veil jangle as she sighs. "A difficult life indeed, but such is the price of doing the right thing. So, what shall you do with this knowledge?" The hooded figure blinks at this newfound information. Oh huh, interesting! So now I know that if I ever get amazing powers, I should keep it to myself and keep all my vigilantism to some alter ego. Or just use my amazing powers for mundane things, like washing dishes. That is interesting to know! I guess I'll, uh... look out for that in the future?" They ponder. "As for what I'll do with this knowledge... Well, no sense dwelling on it before it actually happens, if it does. I guess if it does come up, I'll just remind myself to keep my powers to myself so that I don't make so many enemies or don't have to associate with puppy-kicking people. Thank you for the warning!" They get up. "Thank you for the warning! I've learned a lot today." Either that or nothing, but nothing was better than bad, they supposed. They wave as they head out of the caravan, staring at everything along the way. |
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Post by Lizica on Nov 1, 2017 0:37:18 GMT -5
At the Welcome mat, Lizica wrings out her plaid costume cape one more time to make sure it's dry enough to go inside. This turns out to be a good idea, since the caravan's decor is opulent and mysterious enough that dripping all over the place would probably be a travesty.
"Um, I would love a fortune," she says, trying in vain to meet the lady's eyes beneath her hood but also keeping another cautious eye on the owl. Lizica sifts through her Halloween inventory in search of something to use as payment. She comes up with a small stoppered bottle of sharks' teeth, all remarkably well polished and shimmering black. (She shakes the bottle to make sure they've dried off, too.) "Would this be enough?"
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Post by Celestial on Nov 1, 2017 6:25:07 GMT -5
ThornThe lady smiles. "They are not just pretty, but useful too. Do not be embarassed. Even if you cannot use movie maker now, the future is vast and mysterious," she waves to Thorn and the zombies. "And you should not listen to anybody trying to put you down either." Gelquie The fortune teller waves the hooded figure goodbye. "Just be warned, trying to change the future can easily bring it about. It is one of the key laws of time travel." LizicaAt the sight of the shark's teeth, the lady's mouth becomes a perfect "o". "Now this is something I have been seeking for a very long time. Why?" she laughs. "Not something you need to know. Let's just say shark's teeth, especially ones this jet black, have plenty of uses," a gesture with her palm at the chair, her bracelets janglings. "Do sit down. Let me read your fortune now." From a shelf behind her, she produces a pouch. Upon it, in gold and silver thread, are embroided various runes. The contents clink gently. She tips the pouch out onto the table, producing small bones and semi-precious stones. Your curiosity makes you lean closer to inspect them, and you see that each one has a glowing rune carved into it. As far as you can tell, no rune repeats itself. The lady picks up the bones and stones scattering them across the table. She peers at them carefully, making a few knowing nods. "Ah, this is one of those peculiar ones," she remarks before looking up at you. "It seems that sometime in the future, you will become possessed by a vengeful spirit who died before its time and now seeks to find somebody through whom it can finish its business upon this earth. I suggest you be very careful of any cheese that you eat next time you visit your mother's house."
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Post by Lizica on Nov 1, 2017 15:56:30 GMT -5
CelestialLizica's fascination with the bones and stones with runes turns into mild alarm at the fortune itself. "Oh, um. Thank you for the warning," she says nervously. Then: "...Is the cheese part directly related to the possession? Can I eat cheese if it's not at my mom's house? ...Sorry, lots of questions."
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Post by Celestial on Nov 1, 2017 16:15:21 GMT -5
LizicaThe lady frowns, poking at the runes again. "I am afraid it is not quite clear to me. But just in case, avoid cheese and other such dairy products while visiting your mother," she smiles, resting her chin on the back of her hand. "If it helps, the possession itself will be mostly harmless to you. At least, according to these two runes," she points to a carved carnelian and what looks like the knuckle bone of some medium-sized herbivore.
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Post by Liou on Nov 2, 2017 7:06:18 GMT -5
A four-legged mass of floating glyphs pauses in front of the percheron, tilting its head curiously. Its own eyes - or the spaces where its eyes should be - briefly show a red glow, warmer than before.
The scent of incense in the caravan is so thick that the glyphs waft around in the smoke.
The glyphs take a moment to hover in front of the arcane-patterned cushions and the glowing crystal, swirling on the spot and into new formations, as though trying to communicate with perceived brethren.
At the lady's mention of a gift, the glyph-creature paces uncertainly.
Then it leans over the floor and begins to cough and hack. The glyphs that form its back seem to bristle.
Another few coughs and nine tiles clatter to the floor. They are elaborately patterned tiles glimmering with gold filigree, showing moons and stars and little spaceships. The pattern is cut abruptly by each edge. Perhaps the edges of the tiles can be matched.
The nine tiles hover within the glyphcloud and land on the lady's table with just a few droplets of ink.
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Post by Celestial on Nov 2, 2017 7:18:46 GMT -5
Liou"Oh, oh my..." the lady shakes her head as if trying to wake herself up from a dream. It soon dawns on her, however, that the mass of glyphs in front of her is no dream. "Well, it is not every day I get something asking me to read their fortune which could easily be a fortune-telling device all of its own." She picks up the tiles carefully, not sure what to make of them, but they are quite beautiful. The fortune teller gathers them all up in a neat pile and puts them on the shelf behind her. "I am sure I will find a use for them. They are quite beautiful, and the outside of the caravan could always use more decoration. Now..." she taps the side of her cheek, looking at the ever-shifting glyphs. "What shall I use to divine the fortune of something so unorthodox. Palm-reading is definitely out, as is face-reading. I could try to read the stars, but it feels quite odd to ask a...most unique creature such as yourself if you have a birthday." Finally, the lady stands up from the table and offers her arm to Athena. The barn owl obliges, hopping on, and the fortune teller takes her to the door. There, she releases the bird up into the sky, where it silently makes several loops of varying length around the caravan, swooping up and down, and even pausing to take a mouse that had strayed a little too close. Finally, Athena returns to the arm of the lady and she takes the owl back inside. "I see. How curious," she puts the bird back onto its perch and returns to the table, looking into the eye-spaces of the glyphs. "Unfortunately, not many people will like you. Most often, they will find you annoying. The one exception will be a stray cat that will take a great liking to you, who you will eventually find to be your constant companion. That cat, however, will be quite troublesome and constantly get into all sorts of mischief. Fortunately, you will gain a power to help save it: the power of flight. Together, you two will make quite a team, albeit a lopsided one," the lady giggles. "What an esoteric fortune, fitting for one so esoteric as yourself."
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